SC/ST Act is posing political trouble for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh

BJP state spokesperson, Rajneesh Agrawal told ET that this is a sensitive issue but said there may a “conspiracy” behind raising it in MP ahead of the state elections.

BHOPAL: The amendment bill passed by Parliament to restore the provisions of the SC/ST Act is posing political trouble for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh with an organisation of upper castes and OBCs led by a former IAS officer laying siege to top party leaders and planning a major protest across the state on Thursday.

“It is an important issue,” is all the state BJP President Rakesh Singh said, who himself has faced protests by the Samanya Pichhda Alpsankhayak Kalyan Samaj (SAPAKS) led by a former IAS officer of the state, Hiralal Trivedi. “We want the judgement given by SC on the SC/ST Act to be restored. BJP government has acted illegally by bringing an amendment Act after the SC order. This is a body blow to not just the upper-castes but also the OBCs who have been victims of the SC/ST Act and have spent years in jail on charges,” Trivedi said, adding SAPAKS have called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on September 6.

SAPAKS activists, in the past few days, gheroed central ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Thawar Chand Gehlot on the issue in Gwalior and Guna respectively and even Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia have faced protests with SAPAKS saying all MPs are responsible for passing the amendment act. OBCs and Upper Castes together form nearly 60% of the electorate in MP. “The SC/ST Act amendment bill has been passed in Parliament amidst consensus of all parties,” Union Social Welfare Minister T.C. Gehlot said. The Congress in Madya Pradesh has maintained a studied silence on the issue.

BJP state spokesperson, Rajneesh Agrawal told ET that this is a sensitive issue but said there may a “conspiracy” behind raising it in MP ahead of the state elections. “We urge people to not be swayed by emotional reactions or disturb social harmony. Lots of misconceptions are being spread among the people on the issue. No new law has been brought – only the previous SC/ST Act has been restored by the government. Also, this is a law for the entire country, why are these protests being raised in MP alone? Is there a conspiracy?” Agrawal said. SAPAKS has announced that it will be contesting all 230 assembly seats in MP.

SAPAKS has put a petition in the Supreme Court against the SC/ST Amendment Act passed by Parliament to nullify the SC’s order. SAPAKS also a petition pending in SC on the issue of protesting against reservation in promotions.